State rep presses IDOT to help Oak Brook in their efforts to remove red-light cameras

State Rep. Deane Mazzochi, R-47th, Elmhurst, has come to Oak Brook’s aid in attempting to get the Illinois Department of Transportation to discuss removing controversial red-light cameras from the intersection of 22nd Street and Route 83 in Oakbrook Terrace.

Oak Brook officials reached out to Mazzochi for assistance after receiving no response to a Jan. 31 letter from Village President Gopal Lalmalani to an IDOT official, stating that “justice demands” the state agency revoke the red-light camera permit.

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Lalmalani sent the letter on behalf of Oak Brook to Omer Osman, acting secretary of transportation for IDOT, three days after former state Sen. Martin Sandoval pleaded guilty to bribery and tax charges. Those stemmed from his involvement with a red-light camera operator, and Sandoval admitted in federal court to taking a bribe from a representative of the red-light camera company, SafeSpeed, which installed and operated cameras in Oakbrook Terrace, just outside of Oakbrook Center.

Mazzochi’s April 20 letter to Osman stated that Oak Brook has been incredibly patient for IDOT to do its work properly and revoke its permission for the red-light cameras and that 2 ½ months after Oak Brook sent its letter, IDOT had still had not given the village even the courtesy of a response.

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When asked Thursday about the letters sent by Mazzochi and Lalmalani, Osman’s office responded via email that the letters had been received, and they will be working to address them.

Mazzochi requested that IDOT provide three dates for meeting via conference call or video conference with Lalmalani, interested village board members and Oak Brook’s legal counsel.

“We’re very pleased that Representative Mazzochi is trying to help us out with this. I hope they will listen to her,” Lalmalani said. “It was disappointing to not get any response from IDOT, and hopefully, she will be able to help us do something about this.”

Lalmalani said he feels very strongly that the red-light cameras should be taken down, especially after the involvement of corruption in the process that led to IDOT giving approval came out as public record.

“We’ve always been against these red-light cameras and had our suspicions and concerns about IDOT giving approval, but now, after what has come out about Sandoval and the former Oakbrook Terrace mayor, there is no question that these cameras need to be taken down.”

Tony Ragucci submitted his resignation in January as Oakbrook Terrace mayor on the same day the Tribune reported he’d recently paid $30,000 from his campaign fund to a lawyer representing him.

The Tribune reported that Ragucci was among several elected officials and politically connected contractors embroiled in a federal investigation involving SafeSpeed, which operates lucrative red-light cameras at intersections in dozens of Chicago-area suburbs.